Diane Arbus was one of the most influential, bold and controversial artists of the twentieth century, whose astonishing photography has been said to have ‘revolutionised the medium”.

Born in New York in 1923, Arbus became notorious for her black and white square photographs of “deviant and marginal people”, including giants, dwarfs, nudists, circus performers and transvestites.

In 1971, the American photographer and writer committed suicide. Since her death, Arbus’s work has been exhibited at galleries and museums across the world, and she was the first American photographer to have her photographs displayed at the Venice Biennale.

Despite some of her photographs selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars in auctions, Arbus still provokes controversy, with the likes of Norman Mailer saying in 1971, “Giving a camera to Diane Arbus is like putting a live grenade in the hands of children.”

In October this year, a new book about the controversial late artist will go on sale. Titled ‘Diane Arbus: A Chronology’, the book reads like a contemporaneous diary and includes unpublished writings and private thoughts and motivations, drawn primarily from Arbus’s extensive correspondence with family, friends and colleagues, ranging from Lisette Model, August Sander, Weegee and Marvin Israel.

Coinciding with the launch of Diane Arbus: A Chronology, is an international travelling exhibition, which will premiere at the Jeu de Paume in Paris from October 18, 2011 until February 5, 2011.

The exhibition will feature more than 200 photographs taken by Arbus and is the first major reflection of her work to be held in France.

The exhibition, which will focus on the origins, aspirations and scope of her photography, will move to Fotomuseum, Winterher, Switzerland on March 2- May 28, 2012. It will then travel to Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin on June 21 – September 24, 2012, before concluding at FOAM, Amsterdam on October 25, 2012 – January 13, 2013.

Be Sociable, Share!

•